John ernest minnitt and john henry vickees



(No Model.) I h J. E. MINNITT & J. H. VIOKERS. APPARATUS FORAUTOMATICALLY GLOSING THE TAP HOLES OF OASKSL No. 334,970. Patented Jan26, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT UFHQE...

JOHN ERNEST MINNITT AND JOHN HENRY VIOKERS, OF NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING THE TAP-HOLES 0F CASKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,970, dated January26,1886. Application filed September 8, 1885. Serial No. 176,482. (Nomodel.) Patented in England November 5, 1884, No. 14,634.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that We, JOHN ERNEST MIN- NITT, lace-manufacturer, and JOHNHENRY VIoKERs, contractor, both subjects of the Queen of England,residing at Nottingham, England, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for Automatically Closing the Tap-Holes ofBeer and other Casks or Vessels, rendering corks unnecessary, parts ofthe apparatus facilitating the operation of tapping, (for which we havemade application for British Letters Patent, dated N ovember 5, 1884,No. 14,634,) of which the following is a specification.

Our said invention has for its object the construction or arrangement ofapparatus for fitting inside a beer or other cask or vessel, for thepurpose of automatically closing the taphole of a barrel on thewithdrawal of a tap, thus rendering the insertion of a cork in the holeunnecessary, and by stopping the admis sion of air to the interior ofthe cask preventing fouling or other detrimental action in the cask orvessel.

Part of the apparatus also facilitates the operation of tapping,rendering such operation less inconvenient and unpleasant by prevent ingthe issue of the fluid in the vessel when inserting the tap.

Our invention consists in certain improvements in the construction ofapparatus for closing the tap-holes of barrels or casks and in thecombination of its several parts, substantially as hereinafter fullydescribed, and as specifically pointed out in the claim.

The metal parts of the apparatus may be formed of any suitable metal,but are preferably formed of cast-iron, with the exception of thespring, which is of steel, and the metal partsare treated by anysuitable w,ell-known process whereby they are rendered not liable tocorrosion and innocuous to the liquid contents of the cask to which theyare fitted.

Figure l on the accompanying sheet ofdrawings is a horizontal sectiontaken through the tap-hole of a cask fitted with our improved andsimplified apparatus, and Fig. 2 is an end view looking from the insideof the cask.

The tap-hole 1 is fitted inside the cask 2 (part only of which is shown)with a flat rubher or caoutchouc ring, 3, which slightly overlaps'thetap-hole 1, and acts as a valve-seating. Over this rubber ring 3 thereis placed a flanged end, 4, of a metal casting, 5, and both the ring 3and casting 5 are secured to the cask head round the tap hole 1 by bolts6. These bolts 6, of which there are preferably four, are passed throughholes in the flanged end 4, rubber ring 3, cask-head, and, if preferred,through holes in a fiat metal ring, 7, placed outside the cask round thetap hole, and their heads are pressed against the flanged end 4 by meansof nuts 8 screwed on the ends of the bolts, thus securing the wholefirmly to the cask.

The flanged end 4 of the metal casting 5 is in the form of a flat ring,being of about the same diameter as the rubber ring 3, but of wider borethan the rubber ring and slightly wider than the tap-hole.

The metal casting 5, having the flanged end 4, consists of preferablyfour supports or guides, 9, arranged round the inner edge of the flangedend 4, so as to encircle a cylindric al space, and terminating at theinner end in a ring forming a flange, 10, projecting slightly inward.These guides 9 are preferably formed of triangular shape in crosssection, having their bases or broadest sides facing one another.

Inside the cylindrical space inclosed by the casting 5 there is fittedto slide freely a hollow metal cylindrical valve, 11, closed at the endor face nearest the rubber ring 3, and having cast on ita circularridge, preferably V-shaped in crosssection, formed rou-nd its face nearthe edge. This ridge or circular projection is of greater diameter thanthe tap-hole, and is pressed against the rubber ring 3 and cask by theaction of a helical spring, 12, which is inclosed within the casting 5between the flange 10 at the inner end and a narrow flanged part on theinner end of the cylindrical valve 11, thus forming a self-closingvalve. of the spring 12 is of a size to fit freely inside thecylindrical space formed by the casting 5. \Vhen, however, a tap isinserted in the tap hole 1 and forced upward, the tap end will pressthis cylindrical valve 11 back away from the rubber valve-seating andpermit the contents of the cask to be withdrawn, while the overlappingrubber will have prevented the issue of any liquid during the tappingoperation.

The helix vICO The foregoingarrangement and construction I outside ofthe cask around the tap-hole, and of the apparatus render it extremelysimple bolts passing through said facering and the and economical tomanufacture,as the casting flange 4 of the casting 5, said parts beingcon- 5 and hollow cylindrical valve 11, being made structed and arrangedfor cooperation sub- I 5 5 of cast-ir0n, as described, render thefitting of stantially as and for the purpose specified.

the various parts together very simple, easy, JOHN ERNEST MINNITT andquick.

We claim as our invention- JOHN HENRY VIOKERS' The combination,substantially as herein de- Witnesses: 1o scribed, with a cask, thevalve 11, casting 5, ARTHUR HERBERT MINNITT,

and rubber gasket 3,0! the face-ring 7, secured LooK MOORE. 4

